What Evil Does
by IdolizedFan
Summary: Upon a casual conversation with a sly friend, Judy discovers how she holds a bitter conviction with the fact that they live off as isolated demons. [AU]


WHAT EVIL DOES  
CH01: Simple Intimacy

Upon a casual conversation with a sly friend, Judy discovers how she holds a bitter conviction with the fact that they live off as isolated demons. [AU]

The story's meant to be rough in the edges of development. It _IS_ based from a dream, after all. Most of the scenes are actually not made up and are referenced from the dream itself, but quite a bit of depth is added which made it all the more meaningful. I probably won't add stuff on it but will leave it hanging just in case.  
(And I'm aware I'm so late for my other stories. damn. School stuff just drains me on the needed aspects.)

\- O – O – O – O – O -

"Say, Judy…"  
Nick Wilde absently twitched his claws as he frowned over a thought.  
"Oh." Judy scoffed. "You aren't calling me Carrots?"  
The fox leaned himself casually against the wall behind him and exhaled. "I'd get myself punched."  
"Har. Har." The bunny raised an eyebrow as she looked down from her elevated seat. "So, what is this about?"  
"I'm just bothered why you seem to be not growing anymore."  
As Judy absorbed the statement with a growing affronted look, Nick flashed a set of his prominent lower teeth in amusement.  
"I'm sorry _my_ growth has been a bit conservative." Judy rolled her eyes.  
"That's the spirit." Nick smiled fondly. "Just what we'll need with all this waiting…" The fox hummed in interest as Judy gave the slightest hint of stiffening shoulders. "Since these walls are cold and all," he said, more for a breather.  
Judy swayed her legs as she allowed herself to be preoccupied with his friend's pace.  
"This place is cold, too," she added softly. "And we still use plastic chairs? With no backrest at that."  
"I told you many times already I can offer an embrace." Nick smirked. "No malice in that."

Judy's succeeding laughter, albeit delicate, echoed through the dull hallway and against the cold tiled obsidian walls.  
Not only did the place feel hollow, it was also fairly dark with just hanging torches spread across the area; while the large wooden door before them offered no solace but rather a looming sense of anxiety, which either animal would rather not dwell upon.

"Not this time, fox. Not tonight."  
Nick shrugged. "That statement's a good indication of hope in itself."  
Judy found herself imitating her partner's posture as she leaned against the wall herself, a little concerned with how much comfort she found with the wall's empty ambience. "So, what do you have for me?"  
"Well, if not a way out…" Nick grunted as he stood up, walking to the closed door. "Maybe something that can help put your mind at ease."

As if on cue, the door creaked open ever so slowly as Judy held her reply for the moment.  
The door stopped with a gap just enough to present the animal behind it, which the red fox immediately recognized as the naked Yax, with all the indicatory flies swarming above his head.  
"Oh, Nick." The yak moved the hair over his left eye up to look at him inquisitively. "How long have you been waiting?"  
Nick raised his widespread arms slightly. "Not long enough for me to want to pee." One glance behind told him Judy seemed to be unable to hear what they were talking about.  
"Oh, how I wanna pee too. But the ceremony's still ongoing." The yak disregarded his hair as he reached for something under his robes, which Nick soon found out to be pale white rectangular bars – only he did not know what purpose they actually served.  
"What are-"  
"Oh, just give it to the rabbit. She'd know what to do with it," interrupted Yax as he shook his head to ruffle his hair. "The leader just told me to hand it over."

Nick regarded the bars, which numbered up to five, with curiosity. They seemed to glow faintly, as if they held some power to offer.  
"Oh and one thing." The yak grumbled loudly as he placed a hand under his chin. "I think the leader told me to tell you that you should be careful with them bars or you can also choose to keep them to yourself."  
"Why would I do that?"  
He was only given a clueless shrug and a brief reply, "Gotta be going. I can't be holding my pee forever."  
"Right."

The door was closed right before him, leaving Nick to have a short moment of decision with the bars on his paws. He currently had his back on Judy, who was probably already getting concerned with what had just transpired.  
Whatever the stuff offered, Nick gave a weak huff.  
It was not a matter to dwell upon anyway. Judy was someone he could trust.

Nick turned around, maintaining a sly look on his face. "It was just Yax. He gave me something you could probably use."  
He offered the white rectangular bars and immediately noticed the hint of excitement in her two eyes.  
"I thought they won't ever come!" She jumped down the single chair in the hallway and gingerly took three out of Nick's bundle.  
As her tiny paws made contact with the material, their faint glow became much stronger and a set of words emblazoned themselves on the available space.

 _Heightened Intellect  
Solace in Silence  
Peaceful Sa-_

Judy gasped sharply as she suddenly held Nick's left arm, making him almost drop the two other bars in his grasp. The hasty action caused the adorned words in her bars to flicker to nothingness, and their eyes held contact for a few seconds in silence.  
"I-"  
The bunny failed to continue as the bars Nick was holding started to brighten and presented their own words, which caused the red fox to blink in mild surprise.

 _True Love  
Trustworthy Ego_

"What-"  
"Tha- that can't be mine." Judy released her hold on Nick's warmth, promptly making his bars to darken and their words to vanish. Inversely, her held objects were already on their way back to illumination. "I- I'm sorry. I must've triggered it. And I didn't mean-"  
"Hold on a sec, Judy." Nick held her free hand and gave her a focused look. He gave a quick look at his bars, which did not seem to be giving any implication of glowing back any soon.  
It seemed to only happen depending on the bunny's actions. "So I know those… _stuff_ are supposed to be _mine_ then but can you enlighten me as to what's happening right now?"

Judy seemed uncertain on whether to shake her head or avoid his gaze altogether. Only Nick held firm in his stance, with his eyes silently pleading to her.  
She flashed an expression of submission before speaking faced down, "These bars are called the _leaves of the self_. I think it's unique to each race."  
Nick's eyes widened a little in recognition. "A fox's leaves come through tingles in their tail."  
The bunny frowned. "Tingles?"  
"Yeah. Actually painful bunch. We get to choose which to rub off and leave the others as a mark."  
"How do you know which is the attribute you'd want to have?" Judy asked inquisitively.  
The fox raised an eyebrow. "It's a _leaf_. Any of those is a personal desire. We pull our tails over our heads and… meditate, I guess." At the bunny's awkward silence, he chuckled humorously to provide a less serious atmosphere. "But _bars_ for bunnies?"  
"They…" Judy offered a small smile. "Look like carrots to us."  
"Oh?"  
The bunny bit her lower lip as if embarrassed.  
Nick just gently patted her head. "Nothing wrong with that. The leaves speak of something significant to the specific race."  
"Yeah, but…"

"I admit it's some serious stuff." Nick breathed deeply in resolution, before pulling Judy over for an embrace. "But it's not like I never thought one of them could be changed by you."  
"Nick…?"  
"I did tell you I have something that can help put your mind at ease." The fox sniffled to his tiny stature. "But that's just a front. I've always kept it to myself… yet I can't help but wish for more."  
Judy fumbled for a solid reaction. "Wish?"  
"Embarrassing stuff, Judy."  
"You calling me Judy makes me feel weird," the bunny offered as a light reply. However, she did not show much inclination to pull Nick away, neither affirming nor rejecting his presented feelings. "Out of the three choices you saw in my leaves, what would you choose for me?"

"Heightened Intellect," Nick answered readily, much to Judy's surprise.  
"What? Why?" she stammered uncertainly.  
"I'll be here for your solace." As he paused for a breath, Judy jumped a bit as she suddenly felt his paws tracing the spine of her back. "And whatever sadness you'll have, I'll do my best to make you happy."  
"I-"  
"Judy, I love you so much."

As Judy lost her hold on her carrots, so did their legs trembled together, ultimately leading up to the both of them kneeling.  
"Nick, I-" Judy chuckled awkwardly. "Thi- this is supposed to be my awaited moment. Why are you acting-" The bunny faltered as she found a sudden wave of impending tears in her eyes. "I mean- I…"  
The tears soon fell so smoothly, subsiding to the broad shoulders of the fox. "I- I wanted to believe you were all I wanted all along, but I was afraid… like ser- seriously afraid. Like what if no indication of a good relationship shows up in any of my leaves? But- but…"  
Her mental state seemed to finally catch up with her words as she finally bawled her last thought. "I was so happy to hear that… I love you too, Nick."

Nick grasped the bunny more tightly as his uneven breaths seemed to try to outpace Judy's own heavy breathing. "This sly fox's run out of things to say."  
"Silly. Is this why you've been calling me Judy for the day?"  
Nick spared a feeble chuckle. "You caught me, Fluff."

Just as Judy laughed, Nick could see a faint glow off the bars he was holding; right on the bunny's back and unseen by her eyes.  
He could see the inscribed words of _True love_ getting erased, ultimately making the bar fade into ashes.  
"Say, how do you pick over your own leaves?"  
The single bar left in his hands was not giving any indication of shining back.  
He wanted to believe it meant his own desires were starting to change, all aligning for a meaningful future to be spent together with his partner.

Still in their knelt embrace, he could feel the vibrant rumble of Judy's laughter around his body.  
"We eat it like a normal carrot."


End file.
